This invention relates generally to an automatic icemaker, and more specifically to an improved icemaker having a conveyor assembly.
A conventional automatic icemaker in a typical residential refrigerator has three major subsystems: an icemaker, a bucket with an auger and ice crusher, and a dispenser insert in the freezer door that allows the ice to be delivered to a cup without opening the door.
The icemaker is usually a metal mold that makes between six to ten ice cubes at a time. The mold is filled with water at one end and the water evenly fills the ice cube sections through weirs (shallow parts of the dividers between each cube section) that connect the sections. Opening a valve on the water supply line for a predetermined period of time usually controls the amount of water. The temperature in the freezer compartment is usually between about −10 F to about +10 F. The mold is cooled by conduction with the freezer air, and the rate of cooling is enhanced by convection of the freezer air, especially when the evaporator fan is operating. A temperature-sensing device in thermal contact with the ice cube mold generates temperature signals and a controller, monitoring the temperature signals indicates when the ice is ready to be removed from the mold. When the ice cubes are ready, a motor in the icemaker drives a rake in an angular motion. The rake pushes against the cubes to force them out of the mold. A heater on the bottom of the mold is turned on to melt the interface between the ice and the metal mold. When the interface is sufficiently melted, the rake is able to push the cubes out of the mold. Because the rake pivots on a central axis, the cross-sectional shape of the mold typically is an arc of a circle to allow the ice to be pushed out.
After the ice is harvested, a feeler arm, usually driven by the same motor as the rake, is raised from and lowered into the storage bucket. If the arm cannot reach its predetermined low travel set point, it is assumed that the ice bucket is full and the icemaker will not harvest until more ice has been removed from the bucket. If the feeler arm returns to its low travel set point, the ice making cycle repeats.
The ice storage bucket holds and transports ice to the dispenser in either crushed or whole cube form. If a user requests ice at the dispenser a motor drives an auger that pushes the ice to the front of the bucket where a crusher is located. The position of a door, controlled by a solenoid, determines whether or not the cubes will go through the crusher or by-pass it and be delivered as whole cubes. The crusher has sets of stationary and rotating blades that break the cubes as the blades pass each other. The crushed or whole cubes then drop into the dispenser chute.
The dispenser chute connects the interior of the freezer with the dispenser and usually has a door, activated by a solenoid, that opens when the user requests ice. The dispenser has switches that permit the user to select crushed or whole cubes, or water to be delivered to the glass. The dispenser may have a switch that senses the presence of a glass and starts the auger motor and opens the chute door.
Occasionally, the ice cubes that are stored in the storage bucket fuse together in large clusters of cubes. These fused clusters are much more difficult for the crusher to break up, raising the crushing design requirements for the mechanism and occasionally causing damage. Additionally, the designs of most conventional icemaker systems use substantial portions of the freezer volume, typically 25%-30%.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved icemaker assembly.